OSCAR WINNERS Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are to headline a stage on the closing night of the Oxegen music festival in their only confirmed gig in Ireland so far this year.
The announcement was made yesterday at the launch of this year's festival.
Tickets go on sale this morning for Oxegen 08, which will be a three-day event this year for the first time. It takes place at Punchestown Racecourse in Co Kildare on July 11th-13th.
Also confirmed is singer Amy Winehouse, who despite her well-publicised battles with alcohol and drugs, is one of the biggest draws in live music at present.
Promoters MCD will hope that Winehouse makes the festival, as she cancelled at short notice last year.
Hansard and Irglová will headline the Pet Sounds Stage on Sunday, July 13th, under their stage name Swell Season. Though their Oscar win for the song Falling Slowlyin the film Oncebrought them to a global audience, they are also working musicians and are embarking on a lengthy tour of the United States next month.
MCD spokesman Justin Green said it was a "huge honour" to have Swell Season playing Oxegen. Hansard, as the lead guitarist and singer with The Frames, has played the festival before.
Green said Oxegen was now a "fans' festival" and the line-up reflected the wishes of fans.
"The fans were surveyed to find out who they would like on the line-up, so all the acts that have been confirmed to date are all on that list," he said.
Kings of Leon, who were the most requested act, headline the main stage on the opening night - the first time the festival will be held on a Friday.
REM, who turned up as guests at the festival last year, headline on Saturday night. Their new album, Accelerate, is due out next month. American rap metal act Rage Against the Machine have, arguably, the most prestigious slot when they close the festival on Sunday night.
Green said there had been a "phenomenal" response to the recently reformed Rage Against the Machine who, despite not having released a studio album since 2000, have regained their reputation as one of the best live bands in the world. Noted for their left-wing views, the band reformed last year in response to what they called the "right-wing purgatory" of contemporary America.
Other acts confirmed for the festival include former Slane headliners and recently reformed The Verve, Kaiser Chiefs, The Charlatans and The Pogues.
Many features of previous festivals, including the funfair, Bacardi B-Live arena, convenience stores, mobile salons and hot showers will be retained this year, though fans will be hoping for better weather than last year's event which was buffeted by wind and rain.
Tickets, ranging from €99.50 for a one-day pass to €244.50 for a four-day camping pass, go on sale at 8am today through Ticketmaster and other outlets.
A well-known bookmaker has offered odds of 2/1 that last year's record of a sell-out in 70 minutes will be broken.
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